Engine control system and method based on fuel quality

ABSTRACT

An engine control system and method includes sensing the quality of fuel in the engine relative to emissions, by for example sensing the level of an emission related constituent, such as sulfur. A fuel quality sensor detects a fuel quality of a fuel, such as the sulfur level in the fuel, and provides a signal in response to the fuel quality. The engine control system also includes a navigation device to determine whether an engine is located in a regulated or non-regulated region. The engine control system receives the signal and controls engine operation by, for example, enabling or disabling one or more engine algorithms to improve performance of the engine based on the fuel quality signal or, in other embodiments, the combination of the fuel quality and the location of the engine.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to an engine, a method, and a systemfor controlling an engine. More particularly, the present disclosure isdirected to controlling an engine based on the quality of the fuel beingused by the engine.

BACKGROUND

There exists a challenge for engines to operate in compliance with morerestrictive emissions standards, such as Tier 4 emissions standards.Emissions standards for engines vary widely around the globe at anygiven time and also such standards vary over time. For example, anengine, such as in a marine vessel, may encounter two or more differentemissions standards as the vehicle travels to and from differentcountries or if the vessel travels or the machinery is sold into a newgeographic location having a different emissions standard. In somecountries, operators may be penalized for not using the correct dieselfuel based on the enforced diesel fuel emissions standard. In somecountries having less restrictive or no emissions standards, operatorsare permitted to use fuels with a relatively higher impurity levelwithout penalty since some fuel grades, such as ultra low sulfur diesel(ULSD), may not even be available.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventions include an engine control system, comprising a fuelconstituent sensor to detect a level of an emissions related constituentof fuel present in an engine and to provide a fuel constituent levelsignal based on the detected level of the constituent in the fuelpresent in the engine; and an electronic control device to controloperation of the engine based on the fuel constituent level signal. Theemissions related constituent may be sulfur and the fuel constituentsensor may detect a level of sulfur in the fuel present in the engine.The electronic control device may be adapted to receive the fuelconstituent level signal and to deactivate an engine exhaust gasrecirculation system when the fuel constituent level signal is above apredetermined level and/or modify operation of an engine exhaustaftertreatment system when the fuel constituent level signal is above apredetermined level. The aftertreatment system may be a selectivecatalytic reduction system with diesel exhaust fluid dosing, and theelectronic control device may be adapted to disable the selectivecatalytic reduction system to prevent dosing of diesel exhaust fluidwhen fuel constituent level signal is above a predetermined level.

The inventions also includes a method for controlling an engine,comprising detecting a level of an emissions related constituent of fuelpresent in an engine while the fuel is in the engine, and controllingoperation of the engine based on the fuel constituent level. Theemissions related constituent may be sulfur and the detecting mayinclude detecting a level of sulfur in the fuel present in the engine.

The inventions may also include an engine control system connected to anengine, comprising a fuel quality sensor positioned in the engine todetect a quality of a fuel present in the engine and provide a signalindicative of the fuel quality, a geographic location device todetermine a geographic location of the engine and generate a locationsignal, and an electronic control device in communication with the fuelquality sensor and the geographic location device to receive the fuelquality signal and the geographic location signal, wherein theelectronic control device adapted to control operation of the enginebased on the fuel quality signal and the geographic location signal. Atleast one of the geographic location device and the electronic controldevice may be adapted to determine whether the engine is located in anemissions regulated geographic region based on the geographic locationsignal. The electronic control device may be adapted to modify operationof the engine upon determining the engine is located in an unregulatedregion.

The inventions also include a method for controlling an engine,comprising detecting a quality of a fuel present in the engine,providing a signal indicative of the fuel quality, determining whetherthe engine is located in an emissions regulated region, and controllingoperation of the engine based on the fuel quality signal and whether theengine is located in an emissions regulated geographic region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following more particulardescription of exemplary embodiments of the invention, as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer tothe same parts throughout different views. The drawings are not meant tolimit the invention to particular mechanisms for carrying out theinvention in practice, but rather, the drawings are illustrative ofcertain ways of performing the invention. Others will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 shows a world map of different diesel fuel emissions standardsbased on a location of an engine device according to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a system view of an engine control system according to thepresent disclosure that uses a fuel quality sensor and a geographiclocation system to modify an operation of an engine;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic of the various components of the engine controlsystem as part of an engine of an engine device;

FIG. 4 shows a method of controlling operation of an engine based onfuel quality and whether the engine is located in an emissions regulatedor emissions unregulated region;

FIG. 5 shows a method of controlling the operation of an engine based onfuel sulfur level of the fuel present in the engine relative to apredetermined sulfur limit, such as a regulated limit of the region inwhich the engine is located or a predetermined sulfur limit; and

FIG. 6 shows a method of controlling operation of an engine based on anemissions related quality of the fuel present in the engine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

There exist multiple geographical jurisdictions having different andvarying emissions standards. Turning now to FIG. 1, there is shown ageographical map illustrating different areas or regions potentiallyhaving different diesel fuel emissions standards. The map of FIG. 1 isillustrative and forms no limitations to the present disclosure, and thepresent disclosure is not limited to any particular number of emissionsstandards. It should be noted that a particular country may even havemore than two different standards. For example, in the European Unionshown as reference numeral 10, the Euro 4 standard has applied since2005, which specifies a maximum of 50 parts per million “ppm” of sulfurin diesel fuel for most highway vehicles. In 2005, ultra-low sulfurdiesel with a maximum of 10 ppm of sulfur also became available. In2009, the European Union 10 defined the Euro 5 fuel standard as dieselfuel with no more than 10 ppm of sulfur. Diesel fuel for mostnon-highway applications is also expected to conform to the Euro 5standard.

However, in other locations, for example, Russia as indicated byreference numeral 15, as of 2002, much of the country and surroundingcites still apply limits on sulfur in diesel fuel substantially higherthan in European Union 10. Maximum levels of 2,000 and 5,000 ppm ofsulfur are applied for different uses, while lower maximum levels of 350ppm and 500 ppm are enforced in certain areas, particularly Moscow andSt. Petersburg. Additionally, since 2002, China, as indicated byreference numeral 20, has limited sulfur in diesel fuel to 2,000 ppm,with limits of 500 ppm applied for certain cities. Brazil 25 requiresdiesel fuel having a 2,000 ppm rating in rural areas and a 500 ppmrating in metropolitan areas.

Therefore, different geographic areas (even in the same country) oftenrequire different emissions standards. But engine devices of differenttypes, including construction equipment, e.g. bulldozers, trucks, andmarine vessels, may travel from one jurisdiction to another and backagain, or may be sold or leased to one area or another. The enginedevice may experience multiple different emissions standards for dieselfuel during the life of the engine device. The engine device's life maybe over twenty years and must conform to the emissions standards at itsvarious locations at the time of time of its manufacture over thisinterval or risk being penalized for non-compliance.

In some areas, ultra low sulfur diesel fuel is required while in otherareas ultra low sulfur diesel fuel is not required by the localemissions standards and therefore is likely not readily available.Additionally, running these engines on fuel with different sulfur levelsthan the engine is designed for, may activate diagnostic devices thatindicate that the system is not working correctly. For example, a lighton the dashboard may indicate high NOx emissions or the system mayreduce power to the engine. Diagnostic devices will detect elevatedlevels of emissions and the engines would then compensate and have pooror substandard performance, which may not meet a customer's expectationsfor operation of the engine. It may be difficult and burdensome for theoperator to locate stations where ultra low sulfur diesel fuel is sold.It also may be frustrating for the operator to operate the engine withpoor performance or even face fines for not complying with the correctemissions standard. Applicant's recognized that a fuel quality sensormay be used to detect the quality, that is, the emissions producingquality, of the fuel actually being used in the engine at any given timeand control engine operation based on this quality. In accordance withembodiments consistent with the claimed invention, engine operation maybe modified based on a real time fuel quality signal indicating thequality of the fuel present in, and being used by, the engine to improveengine performance with fuel that has a lower quality, i.e. a higheremissions related constituent, such as sulfur, level, to protect certainengine components and systems from damage by the lower quality fuel, andto control engine operation to entice the operator to use a higherquality fuel. Thus these embodiments sense a fuel quality of the fuelbeing used in the engine and control or alter engine operation, such asby enabling or disabling control algorithms, based on the determinedfuel quality to, for example, protect the engine from damage, withoutconsideration of the engine's geographical location.

Although the above described concept alone is beneficial, engine deviceoperators may be able to tamper with the engine device to, for example,deactivate or adjust the sensor to permit operation of the engine onlower quality fuel. The operator may then simply fuel the engine devicewith fuel that has a lower than acceptable quality, that is, a higherthan acceptable level of an impurity or constituent, such as sulfur, andthus violate the current fuel emissions standard of the geographiclocation where the engine is operating.

Embodiments described herein sense a fuel quality of the fuel being usedin the engine and also determine whether the engine is in a regulated orunregulated area and control engine operation, e.g. enable or disableengine algorithms to protect engine systems or control emissions, basedon the fuel quality and the location of the engine. In another exemplaryembodiment, the regulation limit, e.g. sulfur limit, for the area wherethe engine is located, is determined and compared to the actualconstituent level and appropriate action taken or not taken as detailedbelow. This system and method is especially advantageous for enginedevices moving from location to location (from one emissions standard toanother emissions standard). If tampering occurs so the sensor does notsense the fuel quality and the system determines that the engine is inan unregulated region then the system does not modify engine operationwithout any effect on the operator. Further, if no tampering occurs, butthe engine senses a low fuel quality, i.e. high level of a fuelconstituent related to emissions, for example sulfur, and alsodetermines the engine to be in an unregulated region, then the controlsystem and method automatically modifies engine operation to protect theengine or control performance thereby permitting or enhancing engineoperation in the unregulated areas. This automatic control of engineoperation increases the value of the engine device in the marketplace byallowing the engine devices to be transported to other locations andused in both unregulated regions and also whenever the actual fuelsatisfies a predetermined quality level, without damage to enginesystems such as EGR, while minimizing costs associated with exhaustaftertreatment systems, and while improving performance of the engine.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, exemplary embodiments include an enginecontrol system 45 including a fuel quality sensor 60 to detect a qualityof the fuel, in the engine, related to the level of emissions producedupon combustion of the fuel and a geographic location or navigationdevice 65 to determine the geographic location of the engine device 35,and thus engine 40. Using the fuel quality and the geographic location,the engine control system 45 can enable or disable an engine algorithmto improve performance of, and/or protect, engine 40.

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is shown a high level diagram showing theuse of the system and method of exemplary embodiments with a bulldozeras an engine device 35. The system and method may be used, however, withany type of engine device 35 having an internal combustion enginecapable of combusting fuel, including any movable machine or equipment,truck, bus, automobile, locomotive, construction and industrialequipment, portable or movable generator, and marine vessel. The enginedevice 35 includes an engine 40 and an engine control system 45. In anexemplary embodiment, engine 40 is a diesel engine; however, it shouldbe appreciated that engine 40 may be any internal combustion engine. Theengine 40 may be coupled to a fuel tank (not shown), for example, atypical tank mounted on engine device 35, containing fuel supplied froma fueling station or fueling truck. The present disclosure is notlimited to any specific fuel and thus may be applicable to diesel fuel,gasoline, E15 fuel, E20 fuel, E85 fuel, hybrid vehicles, ethanol,biofuels, methanol, or any other type or source of fuel used inconnection with an internal combustion engine. For example, the fuel maybe ultra low sulfur diesel fuel having about 10 to 50 ppm sulfur contentobtained from a first fueling station 50, or may contain a diesel fuelhaving greater than 50 ppm sulfur content, obtained from a secondfueling station 55. The present disclosure also includes any combinationof fuels, for example, resulting from refilling a partially empty tankwith a different fuel than already in the tank.

It should be appreciated that the fuel and the fuel quality isillustrative of only one embodiment of the present disclosure and thefuel may vary depending on the engine 40, the availability of certainfuels in a particular geographic location, and/or emissions standards.The present disclosure is intended to cover multiple fuels havingdifferent levels of a fuel constituent related to emissions, i.e.sulfur, and the ranges shown are merely illustrative of one non-limitingembodiment of the present disclosure. For example, fueling stations 50,55 may alternatively be illustrative of gasoline having ten or twentypercent ethanol or gasoline having E85 fuel. Various configurations arepossible and within the scope of the present disclosure.

It should be appreciated that the first and the second fueling stations50, 55 may be disposed in different geographic locations, for example,in a first country or region, such as Germany in Europe 10, thatmandates ultra low sulfur diesel fuel, and a second country or regionhaving no requirement, such as for example Brazil 25 as discussed inFIG. 1. Preferably, the engine control system 45 is operable to controloperation of the engine, for example, by engaging or disengaging enginecontrol features, such as by activating and/or deactivating enginecontrol algorithms, to optimize the operation of engine 40 toaccommodate fuel from either the first or the second fueling stations50, 55. The present disclosure may be implemented partly on a computersystem. The engine control system 45 may include the engine's ECU 95, ormay be in the form of a second control unit or module different from ECU95.

Engine 40 also includes a fuel quality sensor 60 mounted on the engineto detect the quality of the fuel contained in engine 40. The fuelquality sensor 60 functions to determine, e.g. detect, sense, ormeasure, the quality of the fuel by preferably determining the level ofat least one emissions related constituent in the fuel in the engine orin the exhaust from combustion of the fuel in the engine, or anemissions related parameter or characteristic of the fuel in the engine.The fuel constituent or characteristic may directly relate to fuelquality or may indirectly correlate to fuel quality so that fuel qualitycan be determined, for example, by calculation. In a one exemplaryembodiment, fuel quality sensor 60 detects the amount of a constituentin the fuel or in the exhaust, such as sulfur, which directly relates tothe emissions produced upon combustion of the fuel in the engine. Thus,in one embodiment, the fuel sensor 60 may comprise a sulfur sensoradapted to sense the amount of sulfur in the fuel present in the engineor the sulfur dioxide present in the exhaust resulting from thecombustion of the fuel in the engine. In one embodiment, the sulfursensor 60 uses ultraviolet measurement of the combustion of the fuel.The measurement is conducted on a specific wavelength to determine thesulfur dioxide emitted which correlates to the sulfur in the fuel. Themethod for this is ASTM 54,53 and one tool may be the sensor or analyzermachines offered by Antek Instruments, Inc. The fuel quality sensor 60may be of the type capable of directly sensing sulfur in the liquidfuel, e.g. combusting a fuel sample from the fuel supply system tomeasure sulfur, or determining sulfur content of the fuel by measuring aconstituent, such as sulfur dioxide, in the engine exhaust. The sensordevice may connect to the fuel tank or fuel supply lines, or the engineexhaust, and automatically, continuously or periodically sample the fueland determine sulfur content. Alternatively, the sensor device mayperiodically sample the fuel or exhaust, and determine sulfur content,upon initiation by a switch triggered upon filling/refilling of the fuelsupply tank or some other event. Preferably, the fuel quality sensor 60generates an output signal representative of the quality of the fuel,i.e. sulfur level, to ECU 95 as discussed herein.

The system 30 also includes a geographic location device 65, whichpreferably is a Global Positioning System receiver 70 that receives atleast one signal 72 from a Global Positioning Satellite 75. “GPS” is ashorthand name for Global Positioning System, a system of satellites,computers, and receivers that is able to determine the latitude andlongitude of a receiver 70 on land and sea by calculating the timedifference for signals 72 from different satellites 75 to reach thereceiver 70. GPS 70 and satellites 75 are well known in the art.

Developed and operated by the U.S. Defense Department, GPS is aradio-navigation system consisting of a 24-satellite constellation.Using precise location and timing signals emitted by these satellites,GPS permits land, sea and airborne users to determine theirthree-dimensional position, velocity and time twenty four hours a day,in all weather. The instant GPS system is operable to obtain positionalinformation anywhere in the world, providing location with a precisionand accuracy far better than any other radio navigation system.Preferably, using the signals 72 received by the GPS receiver 70, theprecise and accurate location of the engine device 35, in longitude andlatitude, may be determined. The GPS receiver 70 preferably includes anantenna 70 a, a wireless signal transmitter 70 b, an identificationmemory 70 c, and signal processing chipset 70 e that are all coupled toa power source 70 d. The chipset 70 e preferably includes a unique codethat identifies the specific receiver 70.

Alternatively, system 30 preferably may be manufactured using othernavigation devices 65, such as, for example, EGNOS, Galileo, or Euridissatellite navigation. For example, the system 30 may alternatively inferthe position of the engine device 35 using a mobile telephone network.System 30 may obtain an intensity reading and a direction of aradiofrequency signal emitted from a mobile communication device to amobile communication base station or tower as is known in the art. Usingthe intensity and direction of the signal with the known location of themobile communication tower in a software program, the system 30 caninfer the location of the engine device 35. Still in another alternativeembodiment, the system 30 may include an electronic compass to determinea location of the engine device 35. Further, the engine device 35 mayalternatively detect positional information as the engine device passesthrough a toll gate or fueling station.

Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown engine control system 45 (which ispart of engine 40) including GPS receiver 70, an engine control unit(ECU) 95, and fuel quality sensor 60. ECU 95 includes a processor and adatabase 80 (FIG. 2). Engine control system 45 receives a fuel qualitysignal from sensor 60 and a GPS signal from receiver 70 indicative of aposition of the engine device 35 in real time, and accesses database 80which includes an updatable lookup table. Control system 45 thenaccesses the lookup table to identify the current emissions standard forthe real time location and provides a signal representative of thecurrent emissions standard. For example, the signal may indicate thecurrent emissions standards such as the maximum amount of sulfurpermitted in the diesel fuel for that geographic location and/or simplywhether the current real time region is unregulated or regulated and/orwhether the region requires ultra low sulfur diesel fuel or anothercategory of diesel fuel that includes a relatively higher sulfurcontent.

Fuel quality sensor 60 is mounted on the engine 40 in an appropriatelocation to detect the quality characteristic of the fuel in the engine,or the exhaust from combustion of the fuel. For example, fuel sensor 60may be mounted on or in the fuel tank, in a suction or discharge linefrom the fuel pump, or at any other location in the fuel system, whereasan exhaust sensor may be mounted along an exhaust system 300, such as inthe exhaust manifold. Sensor 60 detects the characteristic of the fuelor exhaust indicative of quality, i.e., an emissions related fuelconstituent such as sulfur, and provides a signal to the ECU 95. ECU 95then determines whether the fuel is the correct fuel based on ageographic location of engine 40 detected by GPS 70 and the applicableemissions standard.

Turning now to FIG. 4, there is shown a method or process 110 accordingto the present disclosure to modify operation of engine 40 based onemissions related fuel quality and the geographic location of engine 40.Turning now to step 115, method 110 commences and passes to step 120. Atstep 120, method 110 detects actual fuel quality, e.g., using sensor 60,of the fuel in the engine device and outputs a signal representing theactual fuel quality, e.g. sulfur content, to ECU 95 at step 125. At step128, method 110 determines whether the actual fuel quality is less than,i.e. the sulfur content greater than, a predetermined fuel qualityvalue, i.e., predetermined sulfur content value. The predetermined fuelquality value may be any value representing a desired level of fuelquality, such as a particular maximum sulfur content. For example, thepredetermined sulfur content value may be the most common sulfur limitof regions throughout the world. Alternatively, If the answer to thequery in step 128 is “NO”, then the method returns to step 120. Thus theuse of sufficiently low sulfur fuel in engine 40 does not justify actionto be taken, i.e. modification or control of engine operation. Ifhowever the answer to the query in step 128 is “YES”, then the methodproceeds to step 130 where the geographic location of engine 40 isdetected using GPS receiver 70. That is, method 110 recognizes that ifengine 40 is using fuel having low quality, i.e. a sulfur content abovea predetermined level, that is, at an unacceptably high level, thenchanges to engine operation may be desirable, depending on the engine'slocation.

Next, if the fuel quality is below a predetermined standard, then atstep 135, method 110 queries whether the geographic location of engine40 has emissions regulations, i.e., whether the location is an emissionsregulated region/location or an emissions unregulated region/location.If the answer is “YES” and thus the fuel quality, i.e. sulfur content,of the fuel is regulated in the region where the engine is located, thenmethod 110 moves to step 140. For example, the latitude: 48.6908333333and longitude: 9.14055555556 (48° 41′ 27″ N/9° 8′ 26″ E) is located inEurope. ECU 95, for example, accesses a look up table in the database 80using this location information from GPS receiver 70 and determines thatengine 40 is in a sulfur regulated region. Since the region is anemissions regulated region, the method does not modify engine operation.Method 110 then passes control back to step 115 or 120. If method 110determines that the engine location does not have emissions regulations,then control passes to step 170 where engine control system 45 modifiesengine operation to achieve a particular objective such as improvingengine performance and/or protecting an engine component or subsystem,such as an exhaust aftertreatment system 310. After step 170, controlthen returns to step 115 or 120.

An emissions regulated region typically includes fuel regulationsdefining the quality of fuel that must be used in the region, e.g.limits on the amount of certain fuel constituents, such as sulfur, aspart of the effort to minimize emissions. In addition, some of thecomponents needed on the engine/aftertreatment system to meet theseemissions limits, need the lower sulfur content fuel for properoperation. Therefore, modifying engine operation in step 170 to, forexample, improve engine performance or protect an engine subsystem,while possibly increasing emissions, is not permitted by themethod/system. Of course, the conventional engine diagnostic system mayoperate to entice the engine operator to correct the emissions violationby, for example, using a visual indicator, such as a dashboard light,and/or derating the engine by reducing power output.

However, on the other hand, when engine 40 is located in an unregulatedregion, that is, without, or with less restrictive, emissionsregulations, then engine operation may be modified or controlled toenhance engine performance and/or protect engine components, even thoughsuch control may increase engine emissions. It should be noted that themethod/system of the exemplary embodiment may define an unregulatedregion as including a regulated region having a maximum emissionsrelated constituent limit, i.e. sulfur limit, above a predetermined highlevel, such as a level that would not likely be exceeded even with amodification to engine operation as discussed herein.

In the exemplary embodiment, modification or control of the operation ofengine 40 by engine control system 45 includes, for example,deactivating the engine's exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system 320and/or the exhaust aftertreatment system 310. Specifically, an EGRsystem does not function properly and may be damaged when exposed toemissions from the combustion of fuel containing a high amount ofsulfur. Therefore, when high sulfur fuel is detected in an enginelocated in an unregulated region, the EGR system is disabled to protectthe EGR system from damage. Also, exhaust aftertreatment systems may notbe desirable in unregulated areas and may be disabled to save costs. Ofcourse, other engine systems and controls may be modified or controlledto vary engine operation based on the quality of the fuel and theengine's location. For example, any one or more of the following may beperformed: control of the flow of the engine exhaust to an air cooler,activating or deactivating certain valves, modifying the timing of theopening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves, activating ordeactivating diagnostic devices, activating or deactivating warningsystems to, for example, alert the operator to take some action such asremove a part and replace with another part, activating or deactivatingdiagnostic trouble codes, modifying operation of one or more sparkplugs, modifying operation of fuel injectors, modifying operation ofengine timing algorithms, or any other power related parameters of theengine 40. Indication of the modification of engine operation may beprovided by an indicator 82 (FIG. 2) and may be any audible signaland/or a visual signal. For example, in engine device 35, a dashboardlight or display may flash or light up to notify the operator.

By deactivating certain emissions diagnostics when fuel quality is lowin an unregulated region, the method 110 and system 30 preventsundesirable enticing functions from being activated, such as deratingthe engine, thereby reducing the likelihood that users will tamper withor attempt to disable engine sensors, systems and components in anattempt to achieve desirable engine operation.

Turning now to FIG. 5, there is shown a method 200 of controlling anengine based on the level or amount of sulfur in the fuel present in theengine and the geographic location of the engine. Turning now to step215, the method 200 commences and passes to step 220. At step 220, themethod 200 detects the actual sulfur content in the fuel being used inthe engine and outputs a signal indicative of or corresponding to thesulfur content to the processor 95 at step 225. For example, the sulfurcontent in the fuel can be directly detected by sensor 60. At step 230,the method 200 detects a geographic location, i.e. longitude andlatitude, of the engine using the global positioning system receiver 70of navigation system 65.

The method then proceeds to step 232 where the system determines whetherthe location has a sulfur regulation. If the engine is located in anemissions regulated region, country or area, and therefore has regulatedsulfur limits for fuel used in that area, the method proceeds to step235. In step 235, the method 200 accesses the acceptable sulfur limitfor diesel fuel for the region in which the engine 40 is located. Asmentioned previously above, the Tier 5 emissions standards requirediesel fuel having about 10 ppm sulfur content or less in Europe. Inother regions, such as Brazil or China, the sulfur content of the dieselfuel can be relatively higher and ultra low sulfur diesel fuel may notbe readily available. Database 80 may also be periodically updated viawireless interface 105 or network connection to have the most currentemissions standards based on the geographic region.

At step 240, the actual sulfur content of the diesel fuel being used inthe engine is compared with the location's acceptable sulfur limit forthe emissions standard. Control passes to step 250 where a decision isreached as to whether the actual sulfur content is acceptable based onthe emissions standard for the location of the engine 40. If, at step250, the diesel fuel being used in the engine has an acceptable sulfurcontent, i.e. equal to or less than the sulfur content limit for thecurrent engine location, then control of the method 200 returns to step220.

If at step 250, the diesel fuel being used in the engine has an actualsulfur content that is not acceptable, i.e. greater than the region'sregulated sulfur limit, then control of the method 200 passes to step270 where compliance actions are taken by the engine control system toentice the operator to comply, such as providing a noncomplianceindication to the engine operator via for example a light on theoperator panel, limiting the engine power (derating) by, for example,controlling fuel control valve(s), etc. Control then passes back to step220.

In step 232, if the engine location does not have a sulfur regulatedlimit, control then passes to step 280 where the system assigns apredetermined sulfur limit value such as the sulfur limit of theregulated region closest to the location of the engine, the highestregulated limit of surrounding regions, or any other value. The methodthen proceeds to step 285 where it is determined whether the actualsulfur content of the fuel used in the engine is greater than theassigned predetermined value. If the actual sulfur content value is lessthen, or not greater than, the assigned predetermined sulfur limitvalue, then control returns to step 220. However, if the actual sulfurcontent of the fuel being used in the engine is greater than theassigned predetermined value, then the method moves to step 290 tomodify operation of the engine to protect an engine subsystem orcomponent which may be adversely affected by the high sulfur content, ormodify operation of the engine to improve performance of the engineregardless of emissions. For example, if the exhaust aftertreatmentsystem is disabled, thermal management of its components would not beneeded, which could improve fuel economy. Or, if the exhaustaftertreatment system included selective catalytic reduction (SCR) andthe SCR system is disabled, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) would no longerbe needed. By conducting steps 232, 280 and 285, the method avoidsengine control measures, such as deactivating an EGR or anaftertreatment system, when the location does not have sulfur regulationand the sulfur of the fuel being used is sufficiently low so as notadversely affect an EGR or aftertreatment system. In another possibleaspect of the invention, even if the engine is in an unregulated area,the system and method may determine that the fuel being used hassufficiently low sulfur diesel, e.g. greater than the assignedpredetermined value but less than a level that may cause damage to theexhaust aftertreatment system such as 500 ppm, to permit operation ofthe exhaust aftertreatment system. In either case, the next logisticalstep is to give the operator the option to enable or disable. As anexample, assuming the aftertreatment system contains an SCR system,deactivating the aftertreatment system would eliminate the need for DEFduring operation, which may be desirable to some operators in thoseregions. In another variation, the assigned predetermined value in step280 could be the sulfur limit for the exhaust aftertreatment system.

In yet a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the globalpositioning system receiver 70 of FIG. 2 may assist the user withfinding a fueling station having fuel with a level of sulfur meeting thelocation's sulfur standards. This may be accomplished by determining thelocation of engine 40 and then processor 95 accessing the database andmemory 80 to determine whether a specific fuel is available in aspecific geographic region close by. As noted above, database 80 may beupdated periodically, via a wireless interface or during service events,to have the most current information on fuel type availability andlocation. The controller 95 may output a signal to the indicator 82 toprovide information to the operator regarding the location of thefueling station 50. For example, the database 80 may have a lookup tableof the availability of a fueling station 50 that supplies or sells ultralow sulfur diesel fuel with 10-50 ppm sulfur content and may communicatethe fueling station 50 location and distance information to theoperator. Alternatively, the database 80 may access the lookup table anddetermine that a fueling station 50 that has ultra low sulfur dieselfuel with 10-50 ppm sulfur content is not available and may communicatethe unavailability to the operator.

As noted above, the system and method consistent with the claimedinvention may modify engine operation by disabling an exhaustaftertreatment system when the fuel being used by the engine is of a lowquality, i.e. contains a higher than acceptable level of an emissionsrelated constituent, such as sulfur, and the engine is located in anarea that is unregulated. Referring to FIG. 3, the engine 40 includes anexhaust system 300 which may include an exhaust aftertreatment system310. For example, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a means ofconverting nitrogen oxides, also referred to as NO_(x) with the aid of acatalyst into diatomic nitrogen, N2, and water, H2O. A diesel exhaustfluid such as a gaseous reductant or dosing reagent, typically anhydrousammonia, aqueous ammonia or urea, is added to a stream of flue orexhaust gas and is absorbed onto a catalyst. Carbon dioxide, CO₂ is areaction product when urea is used as the reductant. For example, ureamay be introduced to reduce pollutants; however the urea is expensiveand adds to the overall expense of operating the engine 40. In otherjurisdictions, selective catalytic reduction is not required and anoperator of the engine 40 is under no requirement to use the selectivecatalytic reduction method, such as, for example, in Africa. However, ifa urea is not added certain diagnostic devices may be activated eventhough the exact cause of the problem is not indicated. The system andmethod consistent with the claimed invention avoids the costs associatedwith a reductant by disabling the aftertreatment system when lowemissions are not required.

FIG. 6 illustrates another method 500 consistent with the claimedinvention and performed by the system which includes the step 502 ofdetecting a quality of the fuel related to emissions by, for example,using sensor 60 to detect an emissions related constituent, such assulfur, in the fuel actually present in the engine. The method thenproceeds to step 504 wherein the sensor 60 outputs a signal indicativeof the fuel quality, i.e. sulfur content. ECU 95 processes the fuelquality signal to determine whether operation of the engine should bemodified based on the signal. For example, in step 506, ECU 95 maycompare the detected sulfur level of the fuel in the engine to apredetermined sulfur level and modify some aspect of engine operation(step 508) only if the detected level is greater than the predeterminedfuel quality, i.e. sulfur, level. Alternatively, in step 506, the querymay be whether the detected fuel quality, i.e. sulfur level, is lessthan the predetermined fuel quality, i.e. predetermined sulfur level.ECU 95 may generate and transmit appropriate control signals to modifyoperation of various engine components and systems as discussedhereinabove to improve performance of the engine when operating on thefuel having the particular detected quality, or to protect the enginecomponents or systems such as exhaust aftertreatment systems. Forexample, since EGR systems may be damaged by the emissions resultingfrom combustion of high sulfur fuel, ECU 95 may generate a controlsignal disabling the EGR system.

In each of the embodiments described above, multiple constituentthresholds or levels may be used to determine the whether to controlengine operation and what engine components to control. For example, thelevels could be viewed as creating ranges or buckets, such as less than50 ppm, 50-500 ppm, and greater than 500, that demand differentmodification, if any, to engine operation. For example, the exhaust gasrecirculation system and the selective catalytic reduction system withurea dosing have different tolerance levels to sulfur in fuel. Forexample, SCR should be more tolerant. In this case, in one possibleimplementation, if the sulfur level (ppm) is below x (e.g. 50 ppm), noaction would be taken. If the sulfur level is between x and y (e.g.50-500 ppm), the exhaust gas recirculation system operation is modifiedor deactivated. Then, if the sulfur level is greater than y (e.g. 500ppm), operation of the exhaust gas recirculation system and theselective catalytic reduction system is modified or deactivated.

Generally, in operation, the computer system operable with that methodshown in the preceding figures is controlled by an operating system.Typical examples of operating systems are MS-DOS and various versions ofsystems offered by Microsoft Corporation, or Solaris and SunOS from SunMicrosystems, Inc., or the Apple OSX from Apple Corporation. As thecomputer system operates, input such as input search data, databaserecord data, programs and commands, received from users or otherprocessing systems, are stored on storage device. Certain commands causethe processor to retrieve and execute the stored programs. The programsexecuting on the processor may obtain more data from the same or adifferent input device, such as a network connection. The programs mayalso access data in a database for example, and commands and other inputdata may cause the processor to index, search and perform otheroperations on the database in relation to other input data. Data may begenerated which is sent to the output device for display to the user orfor transmission to another computer system or device. Typical examplesof the computer system are personal computers and workstations,hand-held computers, dedicated computers designed for a specificpurpose, and large main frame computers suited for use many users. Thepresent invention is not limited to being implemented on any specifictype of computer system or data processing device.

It is noted that the present invention may also be implemented inhardware or circuitry which embodies the logic and processing disclosedherein, or alternatively, the present invention may be implemented insoftware in the form of a computer program stored on a computer readablemedium such as a storage device. In the later case, the presentinvention in the form of computer program logic and executableinstructions is read and executed by the processor and instructs thecomputer system to perform the functionality disclosed as the inventionherein. If the present invention is embodied as a computer program, thecomputer program logic is not limited to being implemented in anyspecific programming language. For example, commonly used programminglanguages such as C, C++, JAVA as well as others may be used toimplement the logic and functionality of the present invention.Furthermore, the subject matter of the present invention is not limitedto currently existing computer processing devices or programminglanguages, but rather, is meant to be able to be implemented in manydifferent types of environments in both hardware and software.

Furthermore, combinations of embodiments of the invention may be dividedinto specific functions and implemented on different individual computerprocessing devices and systems which may be interconnected tocommunicate and interact with each other. Dividing up the functionalityof the invention between several different computers is meant to becovered within the scope of the invention.

While this invention has been particularly shown and described withreferences to an exemplary embodiment thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that is made therein without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

1. An engine control system, comprising: a fuel constituent sensor todetect a level of an emissions related constituent of fuel present in anengine and to provide a fuel constituent level signal based on thedetected level of the constituent in the fuel present in the engine; andan electronic control device to control operation of the engine based onsaid fuel constituent level signal.
 2. The engine control system ofclaim 1, wherein said emissions related constituent is sulfur and saidfuel constituent sensor detects a level of sulfur in the fuel present inthe engine.
 3. The engine control system of claim 1, wherein saidelectronic control device is adapted to receive said fuel constituentlevel signal and to deactivate an engine exhaust gas recirculationsystem when said fuel constituent level signal is above a predeterminedlevel.
 4. The engine control system of claim 1, wherein said electroniccontrol device is adapted to receive said fuel constituent level signaland to modify operation of an engine exhaust aftertreatment system whensaid fuel constituent level signal is above a predetermined level. 5.The engine control system of claim 4, wherein said aftertreatment systemis a selective catalytic reduction system with diesel exhaust fluiddosing, said electronic control device adapted to disable said selectivecatalytic reduction system to prevent dosing of diesel exhaust fluidwhen said fuel constituent level signal is above a predetermined level.6. A method for controlling an engine, comprising: detecting a level ofan emissions related constituent of fuel present in an engine while thefuel is in the engine; and controlling operation of the engine based onsaid fuel constituent level.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein saidemissions related constituent is sulfur and said detecting includesdetecting a level of sulfur in the fuel present in the engine.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further including deactivating an engine exhaust gasrecirculation system when said fuel constituent level is one of above apredetermined level, below a predetermined level, and within apredetermined value range.
 9. The method of claim 1, further includingmodifying operation of an engine exhaust aftertreatment system when saidfuel constituent level is one of above a predetermined level, below apredetermined level, and within a predetermined value range.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein said aftertreatment system includes aselective catalytic reduction system with diesel exhaust fluid dosing,further including disabling said selective catalytic reduction system toprevent dosing of diesel exhaust fluid when said fuel constituent levelis above a predetermined level.
 11. An engine control system connectedto an engine, comprising: a fuel quality sensor positioned in the engineto detect a quality of a fuel present in the engine and provide a signalindicative of the fuel quality; a geographic location device todetermine a geographic location of the engine and generate a locationsignal; and an electronic control device in communication with said fuelquality sensor and said geographic location device to receive the fuelquality signal and the geographic location signal, said electroniccontrol device adapted to control operation of the engine based on thefuel quality signal and said geographic location signal.
 12. The enginecontrol system of claim 11, wherein at least one of said geographiclocation device and said electronic control device is adapted todetermine whether the engine is located in an emissions regulatedgeographic region based on said geographic location signal, saidelectronic control device adapted to modify operation of the engine upondetermining the engine is located in an unregulated region.
 13. Theengine control system of claim 12, wherein the fuel quality sensorsenses a level of sulfur in the fuel present in the engine, said fuelquality signal being indicative of the level of sulfur in the fuel. 14.The engine control system of claim 11, wherein said electronic controldevice is in communication with an engine exhaust gas recirculationsystem, said electronic control device adapted to receive said fuelquality signal and said geographic location signal and to deactivate theengine exhaust gas recirculation system when said fuel quality signalindicates a quality below a predetermined level and the geographiclocation signal indicates the engine is not in a regulated region. 15.The engine control system of claim 11, wherein said electronic controldevice is in communication with an engine exhaust aftertreatment system,said electronic control device adapted to receive said fuel qualitysignal and said geographic location signal and to deactivate the engineexhaust aftertreatment system when said fuel quality signal indicates aquality below a predetermined level and the geographic location signalindicates the engine is not in a regulated region.
 16. The enginecontrol system of claim 15, wherein said aftertreatment system includesa selective catalytic reduction system with diesel exhaust fluid dosing,said electronic control device adapted to disable said selectivecatalytic reduction system to prevent dosing of diesel exhaust fluidwhen said fuel quality signal indicates a quality below a predeterminedlevel.
 17. A method for controlling an engine, comprising: detecting aquality of a fuel present in the engine; providing a signal indicativeof the fuel quality; determining whether the engine is located in anemissions regulated region; and controlling operation of the enginebased on the fuel quality signal and whether the engine is located in anemissions regulated geographic region.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein detecting a fuel quality includes detecting a level of sulfur inthe fuel present in the engine, said fuel quality signal beingindicative of the level of sulfur in the fuel.
 19. The method of claim17, wherein controlling operation of the engine includes controlling anengine exhaust gas recirculation system when both said fuel qualitysignal indicates a quality below a predetermined level and adetermination is made that the engine is not in a regulated region. 20.The method of claim 11, wherein controlling operation of the engineincludes controlling the engine exhaust aftertreatment system based onsaid fuel quality signal and the determination of whether the engine islocated in a regulated region.